Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-10-08
IN OLD MEXICO.
A TRIP on THE MGREL0S RAIL-
ROAD.
Ameca-Mesa and Its Sacred Noun.
tain-Peculiarities of Life in
the "Sister Republic"


The Morelos road-which, by the way,
is the only purely Mexican railway enter
prise in the country, built and controlled
entirely by native capItalists-runs from
the City of Mexico southeast about eighty
six miles. 1t is laid in the narrow-gauge
and with its innumerable sharp curves and
frail bridges, seems to justify the native
boast that it is thoroughly Mexican in
character and construction, and that its
engineer was Mexican who never built a
railroad before.
Besides several towns Of lesser import
ance, it takes in Cuernavaca (the capital
and principal city of the State of Morelos),
and finds its present terminus at Cuautla
The road is projected to Acapulco-on the
southern coast, two hundred miles below
but its completion to that point will prob
ably be thing of the distant future. 1t
was constructed, thus far, under the auspi-
ces of Senior Delfn Sanchez, son-in-law
of President Juarez, and has rushed for
ward with astonishing rapidity flor Mex
ico), SO that certain valuable premiums
might be secured in addition to the Gov
eminent subsidy. That there was much
defective work about it, was shown by one
of the most appalling accidents in the his
tory of railroad horrors, which occurred on
the line within week after its formal
opening to the public.
1T seems that the Cuautla garrison had
been ordered to Mexico City, and as there
was not yet passenger coaches enough for
the purpose, the soldiers were crowded
upon " fiat" cars, while other fiat cars of
the same train were freighted with
BARRELS OF AGUARDIENTE,
The native rum. As usual in Mexico.
where everything is put off as long as pos
sible, start was not made till late in the
afternoon, and then some delays occurred
upon the track. Before midnight the rain
came down in torrents, and the soldiers,
being wholly unprotected on the cars,
broke open some of the rum barrels and
proceeded to drink their fill. The engineer,
finding the road extremely unsafe, fatty
refused to go any farther, but was compelled
to do SO at the point of bayonet by an
exasperated officer, who did not know what
to do with his drunken and now unman-
ageable men. In this fashion they came
to the stupenduous barranca of Malpais,
the frail bridge over which had been
washed out by the rains, and the train
went crashing down into the depths.
The soldiers who were not killed out
right or mangled beyond the power of do
ing mischief became completely crazed
between terror, excitement and aguar-
diente, and stabbed and shot one another
like so many demons. The barrels of rum
took fire, the cartridge belts exploded, and
the fury Of a tropical storm, in night
black as Erebus, beat down upon the with
ing mass of horror.
1t was at such price that the extra
subvention was earned for the speedy COM
pletion of this road. A whitewashed re-
port was afterwards made, and the affair
was hushed up and kept from the public in
manner which would not be possible in
the United States, but is perfectly feasible
here, where the Government controls the
telegraphs and newspapers.
AS there is no loss without some gain,
the disaster proved useful lesson to the
American engineers in Mexico, especially
to those who came here first during the
dry months, when the ravines and a1royos
are empty. One must live here through a
rainy season to realize and understand the
perils of a road, when sometimes barrancas
which were dry as dust before the floods
began, in an hours time become raging
torrents which sweep all before them.
Had the accident above referred to oc-
CURED week earlier, the Mexican Gov
eminent would have needed reconstructing
FROM THE BOTTOM UP.
1t happened on the Oath of June, 1881,
and on the 18th instant a grand celebra-
ton and banquet had been given at Cuau-
tla-Morelos to celebrate the opening of the
road. Manuel Gonzales, then President OF
Mexico, was there, and Porfirio Diaz, the
present Executive; Pacheco Romero, Ru-
bio and other Cabinet Ministers of past
and present administrations, besides JUS
tees of the Supreme Court, Senators, Gen
erals, htterdteurs-in short, the political
" flower" of modern Mexico.
Despite its dangers, every tourist should
make trip over this Morelos railway
You may take horse-car at the Zocolo
Plaza at o'clock in the morning. and
twenty minutes ride will bring you to the
depot at the San Lazaro gate of the Cap.
ital, near where the main sewer of the old
city flows with sluggish current toward
Lake Tezcoco. From the odors of the
green-scummed sewer, and the congrega,
ton of filthy and importunate beggars
that assemblies at the arrival and depart.
ure of trains, you readily comprehend
why this suburb was named after Lazarus
the king Of mendicants.
The railroad runs for long distance
parallel with the old Spanish highway
leading to Puebla and Acapulco, ovel
which travel has rolled for centuries, and
which even in this age of steam is crowd
ed with the donkey-trains of freighters
The first town of consequence is
AMEcA-MECA DE JUAREz,
Which is forty-fve miles distant from
Mexico city, and the fare thereto is only
one dollar. By s o'clock you may be
seated in a comfortable car, whirling rap
idly over the salt plains that once formed
the bed Of the great lake wherein Corte,
and his crew sailed in their brigatines.
There is much of interest by the way
side. All the salt marshes skirting the
foothills are covered with wild duck anC
other waterfowl. Cultivated fields O
gigantic century plants and nopcls (prickly
pears, alternate with Indian pueblos
miles of "organ" cactus, planted fol
hedges, rearing their round, slender spire,
from ten to forty feet in hight around
primitive huts of zacate sticks, precisely
like that the early Aztecs built on theil
floating gardens above the waters o
Tenochtitlan.
Whatever you do in Mexico, don't fai
to visit Ameca-meca, for it is one of tn,
loveliest and quaintest places in all thi.
quaint and lovely country. 1t has popu
lation of about ten thousand, but much
of its pristine beauty was destroyed by the
great fire of two years ago, which the In
dians purposely kindled Infatuated by
the edict of the Government which forbade
their time-honored celebration of Holy.
week, including the public Passion Play
and street parades, they revenged them.
selves by setting fire TO the town and burn.
ing many of their own habitations.
In the center of the old city, which is
nestled close to the foot of Popocatapetl, is
plaza, whose low, circular walls of stone
inclose small garden planted with flowers
In the middle of this is round, pink.
tinted basin filled with water flowing from
a central fountain. A cluster of white
stone pillars support capital and form the
entrance, and few antiquated willow